Yvonne Wren is Chief Investigator of The Cleft Collective Cohort Study. She took over this role from Professor Jonathan Sandy on his retirement in 2020.

Yvonne trained as a speech and language therapist at the University in Manchester and worked in clinical roles in Liverpool and Bristol before completing her Masters in Education and then her PhD at the University of Bristol. She was awarded a prestigious NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship prior to joining the Cleft Collective team in 2012. Yvonne’s primary research interests are in cleft lip and palate and in persistent speech disorder, i.e. speech disorder which persists beyond age 5. When a problem with the development of children’s speech continues into the early school years, they are at greater risk for low achievement in education and employment. Yvonne’s research has sought to identify the factors associated with outcomes in speech development using data from ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), a large scale longitudinal population study. and the Cleft Collective. With this information, it is easier to identify children at high risk of persistent speech disorder and provide early intervention.

Yvonne is also Director of Bristol Speech and Language Therapy Research Unit (https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/bristol-speech-language-therapy-research-unit/about-bsltru), which is hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust and conducts research and development that aims to improve the care and management of people with speech, language and communication disorders by developing knowledge related to the prevention, management and social consequences of the disorders. She is also Chair of the Child Speech Committee and a member of the board for the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders, a panel member for the HEE/NIHR ICA Predoctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship scheme, a member of the Scar Free Foundation Research Council and a trustee for the communication charity, ICAN.